What Do You Expect? (PM Lesson Outline)
GIST: We must know and proclaim the Gospel and expect both persecution and salvations as a result.
SCRIPTURE: Acts 3:12-4:4
This evening we’re going to recap a little bit of what we talked about in chapter 3 this morning. Then, we’ll dive into the first four verses of chapter 4. It’s funny to me how that works sometimes. We spent like a month in chapter 2, and covered chapter 3 in a Sunday ☺️. Let’s open by reading those first four verses in chapter 4.
"1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand."
Remember, these evening services are designed to be discussion driven. I talk a lot, but I want to make sure we’re growing together, so I want us to be able to wrestle through Scripture together. Our gist for tonight is we must know and proclaim the Gospel and expect both persecution and salvations as a result.
I. We Must Know and Proclaim The Gospel (3:12-26)
Know it. If you were asked to share the gospel with someone, could you? This has been a conviction of mine ever since I was in Chris’ Sunday School class when I was 17. I had been saved for years, and had even talked to people about Jesus, but he asked me point blank to summarize the gospel...and I couldn’t do it. Honestly, I felt ashamed. I was the pastor’s kid turned missionary kid, and I couldn’t even articulate this central truth? Since then, I have been passionate about making sure people know this. How can we proclaim what we don’t know?
Here’s a quick break down of how Peter proclaimed the gospel in chapter 3:
1. Start with Scripture
2. Move to Jesus’ Person
3. Explain Our Need
4. Point to Our Savior
5. Call to Repentance
A few months back, I provided handouts for the whole church on how to share the gospel. In that handout, I summarized the Gospel like this:
1. God is holy and loving. God is holy, so He can’t just be “ok” with our sin. But, He’s also loving, so He did something about it.
2. We are sinners deserving Hell. Romans 3:23, "23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23, "23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
3. Jesus willingly died in our place, taking our punishment on Himself. Romans 5:8, "8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
4. If you believe in Him and give Him control of your life, you will be saved. Romans 10:9, "9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Proclaim it. However, just knowing it isn’t enough. We need to proclaim it! If we’re not sharing it, we haven’t really grasped it ourselves. That truth cuts to my heart too.
Tips For Starting A Conversation With Someone About The Gospel
1. Do you go to church anywhere, or have you ever? I think for our area, this is a great starting point. This is the “Bible-Belt”. Most people have some kind of “church experience”. Unfortunately, not all of it will be positive. Ask this question because you really want to know who they are and where they are coming from, not just as a means to an end. If you don’t really care about people, you’re not really sharing the Gospel.
2. Do you believe in Heaven and Hell? If so, how would you get to either of these places? This will tell you a lot about what they actually believe. They might say, “I don’t believe in Heaven or Hell.” In which case, I would recommend just being hypothetical “if you did believe, how do you think you’d get there?” However, most people do believe in some kind of afterlife.
3. What do you think about Jesus? Here’s the turning point! What you think about Jesus is the most important thing about you!
4. What do you think about Jesus’ claim to be the only way to Heaven? John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is the gospel: we need Jesus to be saved.
5. Would you mind if I showed you what the Bible has to say about this? If they agree, walk them through the gospel (which we just outlined above ☺️). If not, quickly summarize the gospel (everyone needs to hear the truth): Jesus loves you and died to forgive your sins. Believing in Him and giving Him control is how you can be saved. Then ask if you can pray with them...and genuinely pray for their needs.
Praying for Salvation: If you have been able to share the Gospel, ask them if they believe these truths. If not, spend time talking about what they’re struggling with. If they do believe, ask if they want to accept this free gift of salvation. In Romans 10:13 it says, 13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." They don’t have to pray any particular words, if they truly believe that He is who He claims to be, they just need to confess their sins and ask Him to be their Savior.
Give them a Bible: Romans 10:17 says, “17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." We need to be in the Word. Make sure they have a Bible and invite them to come to church with you. Even if they have another church home, make sure you make plans to follow up with them. That’s discipleship! ☺️
II. We Must Expect Persecution (4:1-3)
"1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening."
Persecution should be expected. This will happen.
Why did it happen here? Issue→ They didn’t like that this teaching went against what they wanted. It challenged their positions, convictions, and expectations. In short, they weren’t willing to change. They didn’t want their feathers ruffled.
III. We Must Also Expect Salvations (4:4)
"4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand."
We can’t let fear of rejection stop us.
In the midst of this trial, the like of which I have never experienced, people were saved!
TAKEAWAYS
1. We have to be familiar with Gospel truths...and share them.
2. We should have two expectations always before us: persecution & salvation!
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